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I recently had the opportunity to test-drive another product applicable to the hockey world — this time, No Sweat helmet liners. This was of particular interest to me, as I sweat a ton while playing hockey, and as a result, am constantly wiping my forehead, eyes, and visor after every shift change. Visors are particularly vulnerable to sweat stains, and need to be washed out before and during each game to see properly — a crap shoot that may people play, swearing by visor sprays, furniture polish, and all sorts of old wives tales to keep their visors translucent.

I tried a No Sweat liner in my helmet for not just one, but three games to be sure, and I can confidently say that, without a word of exaggeration, I did not have to wipe my forehead, eyes, or visor even once! No more pre-game visor cleans either, thanks to No Sweat. This product is truly amazing. A true “game changer” in my opinion — hockey is an incredibly quick game, and you just can’t afford to be distracted or bothered by sweat in your face, because the puck will head the wrong direction quickly if you have to take your eyes off of it even momentarily. This product changes that in-game concern, allowing you to dispel one distraction and better focus on the game.

No Sweat makes liners for hats too — no one likes seeing their favorite hat lost to sweat stains, and this product is sure to cure that trauma as well. I wholeheartedly suggest you head over to their website and pick-up a 3, 12, or 25 pack of these for your helmet or hat today. Follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social media accounts too!

-SDC

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Official Product Press Release:

NoSweat is Changing the Way the World Sweats One Hat or Helmet at a Time

Playing sports, working hard on the job or just walking around town can lead to breaking out in a sweat that interferes with your activities. Getting sweat in your eyes or having it roll down your face can throw off your whole game, ruin your makeup, and is just generally annoying. NoSweat has created the first disposable performance liners for hats, helmets, hard hats and visors that absorb sweat instantly while preventing odors, stains and even acne.

NoSweat thin liners simply peel and stick to the inside of headwear and feature SweatLock technology engineered to instantly absorb sweat. Moisture is locked inside the line to help prevent dripping sweat, fogging, sweat stains, acne and odor. Each NoSweat liner absorbs around 2 ounces of sweat.

The liners are performance, safety and hygiene based allowing users to perform at their best, without distractions that are associated with sweating. Depending on the person and activities being performed, each liner can last anywhere from one round of golf to two weeks of standard hat usage. The liners also preserve hats and keep the inside looking as fresh as the day it was bought.

NoSweat is a 100% American Made company. NoSweat liners are backed by some of the biggest names in sports including TJ Oshie, Golden Tate, Dallas Keuchel, Brandon McManus, Stewart Cink, Scott Langley, Matt Adams and Kerry Feirman. The company is also an Official Licensed Partner of the PGA TOUR.

NoSweat liners are available for hats, helmets, hardhats and visors and start at $4.99 for a pack of three and $37.99 for a pack of 25. For more information and to purchase liners visit www.nosweatco.com.

Product Specifications:

Works in traditional hockey helmets, football helmets, and many other types.

Patented Universal Design: Sticks inside the front and/or back of any LID

Comfortable: Thin, soft, and lightweight.

Hypoallergenic

OUR GUARANTEE

We truly believe we make some of the most innovative products in the world, and we want to make sure we back that up. If you don’t have a positive experience for ANY reason, we will do WHATEVER it takes to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase. Buying items online can be a daunting task, so want you to know what we stand behind our products 100% and that there is ZERO risk to you trying NoSweat.

We have 24/7/365 email support for all orders. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team whenever you have an issue.

About NoSweat

NoSweat is a lifestyle brand and manufacturer of products that are 100% USA made and built to increase performance, safety and hygiene for anyone who sweats and wears some type of hat, helmet, visor or hard-hat. NoSweat’s goal is to provide innovative products that improve how people work, play and live. Founded in 2008 by Justin Johnson and based out of Minneapolis, NoSweat offers a growing, patented line of sweat-absorbing solutions that are unique to the sports, construction, industrial, food prep, military, and municipal spaces. Learn more about NoSweat at: https://nosweatco.com/

After recently coming to terms with Team Canada’s men’s hockey team not wearing gold around their necks at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics after previously winning 3 out of the last 4 tournaments, the last thing I thought I’d want to be reminded of was Canada’s first big letdown in the NHL-era Olympics — their semi-final loss to the Czech Republic in Nagano ’98. For most Canadians (myself included), recalling that game is not like ripping off a band-aid, it’s like dragging a knife down a scar. But what very few of us likely knew was how big of an event it was for the Czech Republic to beat the Russians in the final and win the gold for their country, amidst long standing political strife with Russia. The images of jubilation in the streets of the Czech Republic might be enough to make you feel like if Canada wasn’t meant to win, at least the right alternative team did.

The film includes multiple player and Olympic official interviews, dealing with how the NHL came to participate in the Games, players defecting from Czechoslovakia to play in North America, Marc Crawford talking about not choosing Gretzky for the shootout, discussion of the shootout determining the outcome of high profile games, the dominance of Dominik Hasek in goal throughout the tournament, Team USA trashing their rooms in the Olympic village after losing, and lots more.

**PRO-TIP: Be sure to enable subtitles of your native language, as multiple player interviews are conducted in Czech.**

In the meantime, here’s the movie’s official trailer:

Here’s the official press release from the Olympic Channel:

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Press release

“The team no one saw coming. The victory no one will forget.”

Olympic Channel’s Five Rings Films Debuts The Nagano Tapes, the Inspiring True Story of the
Czech Republic’s Shocking Victory in Men’s Ice Hockey at the 1998 Nagano Games

Features never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with some of the game’s biggest
names including Hašek, Jágr, Lindros, Hull and Yashin

Select full match replays from the 1998 Nagano Games also available online exclusively atolympicchannel.com

MADRID – 28 February 2018 – The stirring underdog story behind the Czech Republic’s heroic upset at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998 in men’s ice hockey is featured in The Nagano Tapes, the first film in the Olympic Channel’s signature series Five Rings Films. The feature length documentary premiered worldwide on Wednesday, 28 February 2018 on the Olympic Channel at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps, in addition to telecasts on NBCSN in the United States, Eurosport in Europe and beIN Sports in MENA.

The Nagano Tapes features the men´s ice hockey tournament of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where professional players from the NHL participated in the Games for the first time. Among the many “Dream Teams”, the underdog squad from the Czech Republic led by Jaromír Jágr and Dominik Hašek stunned the world on its way to a historic gold. Their triumph in Nagano is recognised as a defining moment and a source of national pride at a time of the country’s resurgence.

“When I think of Nagano I think that was the best competition ever,” said Jágr of the 1998 tournament. “When I think of Nagano it means that anything is possible because even hockey players from a small country like Czech Republic could win it.”

Bringing the documentary to life are interviews with some of the world’s best ice hockey players who relive their experience in precise detail including the Czech Republic’s Hašek, Jágr and Petr Svoboda, Canada’s Theo Fleury, Eric Lindros and Marc Crawford (Coach), the USA’s Brett Hull and the Russian Federation’s Alexei Yashin.

The film covers aspects of the lives of Czech hockey players during the Communist regime and the entry of European players into the NHL.

“I worked on my craft to better my life and to have, not only for money, but to have a life that you can explore fully,” said Svoboda about his decision to defect from Czechoslovakia in the 1980’s. “So, I took that chance and I was really excited about just being in a democracy where you can grow as a human being.”

Also addressed are the rumours of Team USA’s unsportsmanlike behaviour following their loss to the Czech’s in the quarterfinals, and the infamous omission of Wayne Gretzky from the shootout in Team Canada’s semi-final loss.

“I’ve lived the rest of my life with the criticism of that shootout,” said Crawford, coach of Canada’s 1998 team. “I know that my epitaph will read on my gravestone, ‘here lies Mark Crawford, the dummy that didn’t choose Wayne Gretzky in the shootout’.”

Directed by Sundance award winner Ondřej Hudeček from the Czech Republic, The Nagano Tapes also features never-before-seen IMAX footage and exclusive International Olympic Committee (IOC) archive material. The Nagano Tapes moniker is a nod to the popular video tapes and VCR’s of the time, while the documentary also uses throwback music and video from the decade keeping with the 90’s theme.

The Nagano Tapes is the first film in the Olympic Channel’s signature documentary series, Five Rings Films, produced exclusively for the global media platform by Hollywood legend Frank Marshall(“Jason Bourne,” “Jurassic World” and “Indiana Jones”) and Mandalay Sports Media (MSM). Five Rings Films is a five-episode series of incisive and entertaining documentaries directed by some of the biggest names in film from around the world.

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About the Olympic Channel:

The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform destination where fans can discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round. Offering original programming, news, live sports events and highlights, the Olympic Channel provides additional
exposure for sports and athletes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in 11 languages. The Olympic Channel was launched in August 2016 in support of the IOC’s goal, set out in Olympic Agenda 2020, of providing a new way to engage younger generations, fans and new audiences with the Olympic Movement. Founding Partners supporting the Olympic Channel are Worldwide TOP Partners Bridgestone, Toyota and Alibaba. The Olympic Channel is available worldwide via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.

At the beginning of June, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, stating that he was acting on the grounds that he represents the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. Now at the end of September of the same year, mirroring the US election results in which Hillary Clinton received 75% of the Steel City’s vote, the actual people who reside in Pittsburgh have again made it clear that they don’t all agree with President Trump’s sentiments.

Trump’s incendiary comments at a rally speech on September 22nd regarding NFL players following Colin Kaepernick’s lead in taking a knee during the American national anthem, and subsequent withdrawing of Stephen Curry’s invitation to visit the White House (along with the rest of the Golden State Warriors) to recognize his team’s NBA championship win due to Curry’s “hesitation” to accept the invitation, sparked a torrent of social media based backlash from many professional athletes from across North America’s “Big 4” sports leagues (for starters, see: Blake Wheeler, NHL; LeBron James, NBA; Bruce Maxwell, MLB) as well as press releases in the media, and public displays prior to games from team owners, management, and players all standing together in solidarity against Trump, and the larger narrative of racism in America. The Pittsburgh Steelers (followed in kind by the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks) opted to not be present on the field during the national anthem in direct protest to Trump’s stance – though the Steelers’ offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva did come out to salute the flag and sing along against the wishes of his head coach.

While representatives of the NFL, MLB, and NBA all made statements and took different degrees of action, the NHL also responded, though not in sync with everyone else.

“Any agreement or disagreement with a president’s politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways. However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit,” reads the latter half of the Penguins’ media release.

There are keywords in that paragraph to hone in on – firstly, the notion that the Penguins respect other people’s rights to free speech and expression, just not those of their own personnel, apparently. Secondly, that a political disagreement can be expressed in a way other than declining an invitation to visit the White House, and rub shoulders with a demonstrably terrible human being and even worse world leader. What exactly could that alternative angle be?

Penguins’ captain, Sidney Crosby, ran further with that same idea in a later interview, scratching the surface of something quite tangible, if you let the concept breathe for a moment.

“I still feel like we look at it as an opportunity. We respect the office of the White House. People have that right to not go, too. Nobody’s saying they have to go. As a group, we decided to go,” Crosby told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on September 24th.

If what Crosby says about none of the Penguins being forced to go is true, we’ll have to see if any of them decide to pull a 2012 Tim Thomas and skip out on the event due to political disagreement (or other pro athletes who have done the same in the past) while his whole team still goes – if that were to be any of them, some might suggest it be Ryan Reaves, the only black player on Pittsburgh’s roster, though Reaves was born in Winnipeg, Canada. But they also have 16 American born players in their lineup, and an owner in Ron Burkle who knows Donald Trump personally, who all could take that opportunity of a public audience with the President that others are either declining or being disqualified from possessing – the opportunity to have an open, visible discourse with Trump, to air grievances in a diplomatic fashion, have their voice heard, and simply hear what he has to say in response. Every player will surely get the chance to look Trump in the eye and shake his hand if only for a moment – what they do with those precious few seconds could go a long way in either direction, or absolutely nowhere at all.

It would be the perfect opportunity for the NHL to start practicing what they recently started preaching, in accordance to excerpts from the league’s recently developed and published official Declaration of Principles:

We Believe: The game of hockey is a powerful platform for participants to build character, foster positive values and develop important life skills. These benefits are available to all players, desirable to every family and transcend the game. Hockey’s greatest value is the role it plays in the development of character and life skills. We believe in our ability to improve lives and strengthen communities globally through hockey.

All hockey programs should provide a safe, positive, and inclusive environment for players and families regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

Integrity: We do the right thing, not the easy thing. We have courage on and off the ice.

Wouldn’t it be something to see someone outside of Trump’s inner circle, or the hosts of Fox and Friends, try to talk some sense into him face-to-face, rather than through TV or Twitter? We’ve all seen how well Trump remotely dialogues with his fellow Americans and foreign leaders alike through his preferred social media vehicle of Twitter. While the statements all professional athletes have been making thus far are valid and meaningful, none of them have been channeled directly at Trump’s face, not transmitted through a screen. As juvenile as it would be, Trump basically can basically still say, “Oh yeah? Why don’t you say that to my face?” to it all. And this seems to be the opportunity that the Penguins truly have, as I hope Crosby was eluding to. Might then a hockey player, generally considered fair, conservative and level-headed, be the perfect person to bring a slant of reason to this president? Trump may not listen to any of it, but at the very least someone from the Penguins could convey a message. Hopefully the team makes the most of the chance their captain already knows they have. Either they tap into the character they have developed through hockey, use courage and their powerful platform to transcend the game and do the right thing in helping all families feel included regardless of their minority status, or they instead do the easy thing that would be just showing up to smile for the cameras, nod when spoken to, and give classic canned answers to reporters while they tour the oval office and admire the furniture. I know which option I would prefer.

***UPDATE***
On October 10, 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins visited Donald Trump at the White House, and did and said nothing. 😦

The highly anticipated, fiercely contested 4th Annual Jeju Cup Summer Classic Ball Hockey Tournament will be held on Sunday, June 4th at the Jeju City inline rink. Players of all skill levels are invited to participate in this full day of ball hockey action — the seventh tournament the Jeju Islanders Hockey Club has hosted. Each team will battle it out for the chance of having their names engraved on the prestigious Jeju Cup.

Help us raise funds for the Jeju Islanders Hockey Club so we can continue to grow the sport of hockey in Jeju, and help support worthy charitable causes. All Jeju Islanders weekly games and events rely solely on donations and out of pocket payments to operate. As our team sports over 20 participants each week in our regular weekly games, and as tournaments flourish with attendance many times that, our team’s expenses have risen accordingly. Currently, we need ongoing funding for:

-The rental or construction of an equipment storage facility (currently we rely on team volunteers to store and hustle the gear each week).
-Current and future tournament/event costs.
-support of local kids hockey programs and charitable giving.
-Equipment:
-new sticks as old ones break, and to accommodate our rising amount of players.
-stick tape.
-street hockey balls.
-goalie equipment.
-jerseys.
-scoreboard.
-equipment maintenance.

To reach our financial goals, we’ll have mini-game prizes, raffle items, merchandise for sale, concessions, and our registration fee that gets you a full day of tournament games and food.

We are actively seeking players, volunteers, and sponsors to make this effort a success.

If you’d like to be a part of the competition and the effort, fill out this registration form:

Bring your own stick if you have one, but if not, we have plenty of extras for you to borrow.

We’ll divide up our players into an even number of teams via draft at The Bar in Jeju City (we will sort and balance the teams according to skill level, don’t worry) to keep things even and fun. 5 on 5, with goalies!

Before covering my iPhone 6 with the Pong Sleek Case, I had a major issue of constantly dropping my phone. Not only does the Pong case’s materials provide me a considerably better grip than without, the case has been drop tested and certified up to US military specs for drops up to 6.6 feet high. I drop my phone far less now, and when I do, I stress a lot less about it because I know my drastically overpriced phone is adequately protected. The case fits rather snugly on the phone, so be prepared not to remove it too often. If you do find yourself needing to and struggling to remove the case, simply refer to this video from Pong’s YouTube channel for a procedural walkthrough.

360° view of Pong’s “Rugged” edition for iPhone 6

Additionally, from their research backed claims, I know that this case is deflecting more than half of the radiation that was otherwise headed towards by brain with every call elsewhere, thanks to its gold-plated antenna (verified by an independent, third-party study — see below for the link, or watch this video link). I try not to think about how much I was letting through prior to suiting my phone up with this case.

Furthermore, Pong makes an aesthetically pleasing, subtle and understated, yet unique looking case. The “Sleek” comes with easy access to the volume, ringer, and power buttons on either side, speaker and jacks on the bottom, and top panel. Great for someone wanting to minimize the aesthetic interference a case usually veils a phone with, while providing great safety and durability at the same time.

The “Rugged” on the other hand, covers the volume and power buttons, gives marginal access to the ringer switch, closes the top panel, but keeps good access to the bottom speaker and jacks. A little bulkier, but it’s obviously built to endure high levels of abuse. If you’re hard on phones, this is the edition for you.

Personally, I enjoy and appreciate this phone case on a number of levels, and I’d bet you would too. Order one for yourself today!

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More tech and specs from the manufacturer:

Pong Technology Reduces Your Exposure to Mobile Phone Radiation.

Total Radiated Power is a measure of the radiation your mobile devices are emitting. TRP isn’t bad. In fact, it’s what gives you a strong mobile connection. Pong’s patented antenna is unique in that it doesn’t decrease the TRP of your mobile device. It maintains your signal and redirects that radiation away from your head and body. That’s good for your phone and even better for you.

How Pong Technology Works:

Pong cases are embedded with a patented, micro thin, gold-plated antenna, that reduces exposure to potentially harmful cell phone radiation while maintaining the phone’s signal — it may even boost your signal by up to 25%. The Pong antenna couples with the antenna in your phone and redirects radiation away from you. Results from tests in FCC-certified labs show the Pong Sleek Case for iPhone 6/6s lowers your radiation exposure by up to 67% below a bare phone (or up to 89% below the FCC SAR limit). What’s more, it was verified in an extensive, independent test by WIRED MAGAZINE.

What Parents Should Know About Radiation:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states, “In theory, children have the potential to be at greater risk than adults for developing brain cancer from cell phones.” According to the NCI, this is due to the still-developing nervous systems and smaller heads of children. Pong cases give you an easy way to proactively protect your children from exposure to radiation.

4′ – 6.6′ Drop Protection

Beyond protecting from radiation, Pong cases provide protection from 4′ to 6.6′ drops, and are drop-tested to U.S. military specifications.

For my latest product review, I was sent a fantastic product called “Clap Balm”, a hockey hand deodorizer. For many of us hockey players, the smell our gear (and thusly us) emits after using it may not faze us, but when you ask our loved ones, you’re likely to hear an entirely different story. My grandmother literally would not even go through the door of my college dressing room when I tried to give her a tour of our room. My wife has personally let me know of her particular disapproval of the smell of hands after games on more than one occasion. For that reason, I thought she would be the perfect control to field test this product with me. Have a watch of the results for yourself:

So there you have it. Clap Balm is a proven winner. In addition to my wife, Clap Balm has drawn support from Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks, Dylan DeMelo of the San Jose Sharks, and numerous teams and players across college and junior hockey.

(London, Ontario)—Fanshawe business student Matt Laberge and Western student Dan Black have found the solution to a common hockey problem.

The duo have developed Clap Balm, an all-natural hand cream aimed at eliminating the smell of sweat left on hands from hockey gloves.

Laberge and Black launched Clap Balm—a play on the hockey slapshot term clap bomb—just over a year ago and quickly sold 400 tins within seven days.

Today, the product is professionally manufactured and is now being sold at sporting stores in Barrie, Toronto and London.

The clap balm has also won over a few professional hockey players. Dylan DeMelo of the San Jose Sharks, Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks and Derek Mathers of the American Hockey League are fans of the product and use it regularly.

On October 26, Clap Balm received the Young Business Leadership award and met David Chilton, best-selling author of The Wealthy Barber and former dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.

The Clap Balm can be purchased for about $10 at local London retailers such as Pete’s Sports, Perani’s and Source for Sports. It can also be purchased online at www.clapbalm.com.

The highly anticipated, fiercely contested 3rd Annual Jeju Cup Winter Classic Ball Hockey Tournament will be held on Saturday December 11th at the Jeju City inline rink. Players of all skill levels are invited to participate in this one full day of ball hockey action — the sixth tournament the Jeju Islanders Hockey Club has hosted. Each team will battle it out for the chance of having their names engraved on the prestigious Jeju Cup — now six times bigger!

Help us raise funds for the Jeju Islanders Hockey Club so we can grow the sport of hockey in Jeju, and help support worthy charitable causes. All Jeju Islanders weekly games and events rely solely on donations and out of pocket payments to operate. As our team sports over 20 participants each week in our regular weekly games, and as tournaments flourish with attendance many times that, our team’s expenses have risen accordingly. Currently, we need ongoing funding for:

-The rental or construction of an equipment storage facility (currently we rely on team volunteers to store and hustle the gear each week).
-Current and future tournament/event costs.
-support of local kids hockey programs.
-Equipment:
-new sticks as old ones break, and to accommodate our rising amount of players.
-stick tape.
-street hockey balls.
-goalie equipment.
-jerseys.
-scoreboard.
-equipment maintenance.

To reach our financial goals, we’ll have mini-game prizes, raffle items, merchandise for sale, concessions, and our registration fee that gets you a full day of tournament games and food.

We are actively seeking players, volunteers, and sponsors to make this effort a success.

Bring your own stick if you have one, but if not, we have plenty of extras for you to borrow.

We’ll divide up our players into an even number of teams via draft at The Bar in Jeju City (we will sort and balance the teams according to skill level, don’t worry) to keep things even and fun. 5 on 5, with goalies!

We here at The SDC Blogs do our best to keep you entertained and informed - about recent happenings, of new products we think you should try out, opinions, and whatever else we think you should know. If you can spare them, toss a few coins in our guitar case, or buy us a drink, if you think we accomplished any of those goals.

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If you'd be interested in having me write something for you, want to make a suggestion about a topic you would like for me to write about or a product to review, are interested in exchanging large, gold-coin filled burlap sacks with dollar-signs branded on them for my writing service, or just want to get in touch, feel free to drop me a line at: davecunning09@shaw.ca
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